This new cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant originated as seedling number 82-A31-12 resulting from a cross of Ruby Mound and Autumn Fire (unpatented cultivars) made in 1981 at St. Paul, Minn. during the course of breeding efforts in an on-going garden Chrysanthemum breeding project under direction of the inventor, a professor at the University of Minnesota, Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture.
Minnesota Selection (MN Sel.) 82-A31-12 was discovered as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in the fall of 1982, in the St. Paul campus field test plots at the University of Minnesota. The early opening of the large (7.5-9 cm) rich, dark red flowers on a high-mounded plant caused the inventor to select this seedling for propagation and testing. The first act of asexual reproduction of MN Sel. 82-A31-12 was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken in March-April 1983, in a controlled environment in St. Paul, Minn. Cuttings were from the initial selection plant that had been dug from the field in late October, 1982. Plants so reproduced continued to have the same favorable characteristics on tidy plants with clean, semi-glossy, medium dark green foliage, and the flower color was slow to fade to a light red.
Plants of this Chrysanthemum were field tested at seven locations in Minnesota in 1985, 1986 and 1987, including the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the Crookston, Grand Rapids, Lamberton, Morris, Rosemount and Waseca Agricultural Experiment Stations). In addition, this cultivar was trialed in 1985, 1986 and 1987 as a greenhouse grown, spring flowering plant in 3-inch pots. Rooted cuttings were potted March 15 of each year, pinched (stem tip removal) one week later and successfully forced into bloom in both natural (long day) and short day (0800-1600 hours) photoperiods.
Flowering time of this selection in the St. Paul Campus field test plots of the University of Minnesota was earlier than that of all of the other dark reds in the garden Chrysanthemum collection except the cultivar `Torch Song`, and 3 to 4 weeks earlier than `Minngopher` and `Minnruby`.